The 2026 CrossFit Games season is heating up, with INOV8 athletes continuing to impress across the Open, Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
From teenage talents rising through the Age Group divisions to experienced Games legends returning to the competition floor, Team INOV8 has delivered strong performances across the board so far this season.
All will be hoping to make an appearance at the CrossFit Games Finals, taking place this year in San Jose, CA.
Now in the Semifinals stage, we caught up with some of the athletes to reflect on their campaigns so far and what’s still to come.
Keira McManus
After topping the leaderboard in the 16-17 division in both the Open and Quarterfinals, INOV8 youngster Keira McManus took part in the CrossFit Games Age Group Semifinals earlier in May.
The 16-year-old continued her dominance, rounding off the weekend with a 1st-place finish in her division ahead of some of the best young cross training athletes in the world.
Keira said: “The Age Group Semifinals went really well and I'm super happy with how the weekend went.
"It was definitely tough as this year, I've moved up an age category, but I'm proud of how I handled it both physically and mentally."
To add an extra layer of difficulty for Keira, she is also in the middle of her GCSE exams.
“I also had to spend the weekend revising for my GCSE exams which started the following Monday.
“Whilst it was a distraction from the Semifinals workouts themselves, it also did add to the pressure and stress levels a little!”
Next up, Keira is heading to Spain for the MAD Fitness Festival, where she will be competing in the in-person Semifinals for the CrossFit Games.
“I’m really excited for the CrossFit Games Semi Finals in Spain.
“The atmosphere at these events is unreal, and competing against some of the best athletes in the world is always an amazing experience. I love testing myself at that level!”
Tayla Howe
Tayla Howe got her CrossFit Games campaign off to a flying start, finishing 9th worldwide in the Open.
“I don’t think I’ve ever finished in the top 50 in the Open so it’s a big achievement. Overall, the Open experience was the best I could have asked for.”
Tayla followed that up with a 31st-place worldwide finish in the Quarterfinals, ranking 12th across Europe.
Next on the calendar for Tayla is Torian Pro in Australia, where she will be competing in her in-person Semifinal.
Scott Panchik
CrossFit Games veteran Scott Panchik will be hoping to return to the competition floor this year in the CrossFit Games Masters, after a strong set of performances in the opening rounds.
The INOV8 athlete has competed at the individual CrossFit Games on nine occasions, with a further two appearances in the CrossFit Games Masters in the 35-39 division. Last year, he topped the podium at the finals in Columbus, Ohio.
After a 4th-place finish in the Open in the 35-39 division, Panchik finished 3rd in the Age Group Quarterfinals in March, with his performance ranking him 21st in the overall standings.
At the end of April, Scott headed to California for the Legends Del Mar Age Group Semifinals. He topped the leaderboard, dominating with a 1st-place finish to secure his place at the CrossFit Games Masters.
Reese Littlewood
After winning the 16-17 CrossFit Age Group Games in 2024, Reese Littlewood will be hoping to make her debut in the CrossFit Games later this summer.
The Open saw Reese finish in 81st place, moving up to 69th place worldwide in the Quarterfinals.
“I had so much fun with this year’s Open!” commented Reese.
“I’m proud of my mentality throughout and choosing to focus on my own performance instead of looking at the leaderboard too much.”
Reese was most recently in semifinals action at the French Throwdown on May 16-17. The 19-year-old put in a strong performance to finish 8th.
Lewin Tubuna
Lewin Tubuna is the latest addition to Team INOV8.
The 17-year-old, based in the north-east of England, competed in the 16-17 division at the CrossFit Age Group Games in 2024 and 2025, finishing in 5th place and 12th place respectively.
Lewin said: “I’m incredibly excited to join Team INOV8!
“The brand has such a strong reputation within the training space, and it’s great to be aligned with a team that genuinely understands the demands of training and competing at the highest level.”
After finishing 4th in the Open for the 16-17 division, Lewin went on to top the leaderboard in the Quarterfinals, finishing 1st place worldwide.
Earlier in May, he completed the Age Group Semifinals, ranking 7th worldwide, as he hopes to make his third consecutive appearance at the CrossFit Age Group Games.
“The opening rounds have gone really well for me so far. The season has felt very steady from the beginning, and I was especially happy to come away with a worldwide win in the Quarterfinals.
“The focus now is on continuing to build steadily towards the Games, and carrying that momentum through the rest of the season.”
Andy Rowbotham, Training Category Manager at INOV8, added: "Naturally, we're delighted to have so many athletes in Team INOV8 performing so strongly throughout the Games campaign so far.
"Keira and Lewin look set to light up the 16-17 division, along with Scott Panchik in the Masters.
"We're wishing Tayla and Reese the best of luck in their upcoming Semifinals! Let's go!""
